U.S. patent number 4,261,614 [Application Number 06/032,565] was granted by the patent office on 1981-04-14 for telescoping camper.
Invention is credited to James D. Rice.
United States Patent |
4,261,614 |
Rice |
April 14, 1981 |
Telescoping camper
Abstract
A telescoping vehicle body has a covered base frame having a
telescoping frame telescoping thereover allowing the body to be
lowered for travel. A lifting winch is attached to the base frame
and has one or more cables connected thereto, which are connected
through a plurality of rollers located on the base frame to the
base frame. The cables also pass under rollers attached to the
telescoping frame, so that pulling the cable taut will lift the
telescoping frame, while loosening the cable will allow the
telescoping frame to lower itself. Guides are provided for guiding
and stabilizing the telescoping frame during raising and
lowering.
Inventors: |
Rice; James D. (Auburndale,
FL) |
Family
ID: |
21865604 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/032,565 |
Filed: |
April 23, 1979 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
296/171; 254/276;
254/339; 74/89.22 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60P
3/34 (20130101); Y10T 74/18848 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
B60P
3/32 (20060101); B60P 3/34 (20060101); B60P
003/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;296/171,175,165,26,27
;254/174,173R,187.8,DIG.15 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Love; John J.
Assistant Examiner: Weaver; Ross
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Duckworth, Hobby, Allen, Dyer &
Pettis
Claims
I claim:
1. A telescoping vehicle body comprising in combination:
a base frame having a bottom portion and a top portion;
a telescoping frame telescoping over said base frame and having a
bottom portion and a top portion;
guide means for guiding said telescoping frame on said base frame
during telescoping to a raised or lowered position;
a lifting winch having an electric motor coupled through gears to a
winch drum attached to said base frame and having at least one
cable attached thereto, said lifting winch having at least one
sliding rack engaging at least one gear for sliding back and forth
upon operation of said electric motor in a forward or reverse
direction and a microswitch mounted adjacent at least one end for
turning off said lifting winch when said rack actuates said
microswitch upon said telescoping body reaching an upper or lower
limit;
a plurality of rollers fixedly attached to said base frame top
portion;
a plurality of rollers attached to said bottom portion of said
telescoping frame;
at least one cable attached to said winch and passing over a
plurality of rollers on said base frame and under a plurality of
rollers attached to said telescoping frame and being attached at
one end to said base frame, whereby actuating said winch will pull
said cable taut, lifting said telescoping frame on said base
frame.
2. A telescoping vehicle body in accordance with claim 1, in which
said guide means has a plurality of elongated guide members fixedly
attached to said base frame and a plurality of hollow guide members
fixedly attached to said telescoping frame and telescoping on said
elongated guide members attached to said base frame.
3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, in which said
elongated hollow guide members attached to said base frame have a
neck extending therefrom attached to a flange for bolting to said
base frame.
4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 3, in which said
elongated hollow guide members attached to said telescoping frame
each have a tangential flange extending therefrom for attaching to
said telescoping frame.
5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which said guide
means has an elongated hollow guide member having an elongated slot
therein attached to said telescoping frame and an elongated
telescoping guide member having at least one bolt fixedly attached
thereto and extending therefrom and bolted to said base frame and
sliding in said elongated slot in said hollow guide member attached
to said telescoping frame.
6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 5, in which said
elongated hollow guide member has a plurality of flange members
extending tangentially thereto and having apertures therein for
attaching to said telescoping frame.
7. A telescoping vehicle body in accordance with claim 1, in which
said plurality of rollers fixedly attached to said base frame top
portion includes two rollers for each coacting roller attached to
said bottom portion of said telescoping frame and mounted to align
each said roller on said telescoping frame between said pair of
rollers.
8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 7, in which said winch
has two cables attached thereto, one extending on each side of said
base frame, and each end being attached to a roller attached to
said base frame.
9. The apparatus in accordance with claim 8, in which said base
frame and telescoping frame each have an exterior surface mounted
thereover.
10. An apparatus in accordance with claim 9, in which said
telescoping vehicle body is a telescoping topper attached to a
truck and has an electrical switch mounted on the exterior thereof
operatively connected to said winch for actuating said winch to
telescope said vehicle body.
11. The apparatus in accordance with claim 10, in which said
exterior switch is a key switch.
12. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which said lifting
winch has gears which can be disengaged from said electric motor
for manual operation.
13. The apparatus in accordance with claim 12, in which said
lifting winch has a removable handle for hand actuating said winch
when said gears are disengaged for manual operation.
14. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which said lifting
winch has a pair of gear racks, one engaging the top and one
engaging the bottom of a drive gear for actuating a microswitch on
both ends at the end of the travel of the telescoping vehicle body
upon each rack engaging a microswitch.
15. A telescoping vehicle body comprising in combination:
a vehicle body base attached to a vehicle and having a bottom
portion and a top portion thereof;
a telescoping body telescoping over said base body and having a
bottom portion and a top portion thereof;
telescoping guide means having a plurality of elongated fixed
portions attached to said vehicle body base and a plurality of
telescoping portions fixedly attached to said telescoping body for
telescoping in said fixed portion on said body base for guiding
said telescoping body portion during telescoping on said vehicle
body base, said telescoping guide means fixed portions having a
plurality of rollers mounted thereto and said plurality of
telescoping portions each having a track with said elongated fixed
portion rollers riding thereon and said telescoping portions each
having a plurality of rollers riding on an elongated fixed portion
track, whereby said telescoping guide means is prevented from
binding during the telescoping of said vehicle body, and each
outside elongated fixed portion roller having an annular grooved
portion therearound for engaging said telescoping portion track and
each of said telescoping portion rollers has a grooved portion
therearound for engaging said fixed portion track;
winch means attached to said vehicle body base and having a pair of
cables extending therefrom; and
each cable extending on one side of said telescoping vehicle body
over one roller of each pair of rollers attached to said body base,
under a coacting roller on said telescoping body base, each said
cable being fixedly attached at the end thereof to said body base
whereby actuation of said winch will pull said cable taut lifting
said telescoping body on said body base.
16. A telescoping vehicle body comprising in combination:
a base frame having a bottom portion and a top portion;
a telescoping frame telescoping over said base frame and having a
bottom portion and top portion;
guide means for guiding said telescoping frame on said base frame
during telescoping to a raised or lowered position;
a lifting winch attached to said base frame and having a spool
having cables extending in two directions therefrom, said winch
having a winch frame having a spool rotatably mounted thereon, and
an electric motor driving a gear box hinged to said winch frame for
driving said winch spool;
a pair of cable coupling means, one attached to each cable
extending from said lifting winch spool and each coupling means
having a pair of cables attached thereto;
a pair of double cable rollers fixedly attached to said base frame
top portion, each having one pair of said cables extending
thereover, one said cable extending thereover being attached to the
bottom portion of said telescoping frame; and
a plurality of rollers attached to said base frame top portion, and
said other cable of each said pair of cables extending over one
said double cable roller extending over a second roller and being
attached to the bottom portion of said telescoping frame, whereby
actuating said winch will raise and lower said telescoping
frame.
17. A telescoping vehicle body in accordance with claim 16, in
which said guide means has a plurality of guide rods attached to
said base frame and a plurality of sleeves attached to said
telescoping frame and one sleeve slidably attached to each guide
rod, whereby said telescoping frame is guided during raising and
lowering of said telescoping frame.
18. The apparatus in accordance with claim 17, in which said winch
includes a coupling means for removably coupling said electric
motor and gear box to said spool of said winch.
19. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18, in which said winch
coupling means includes latching means for latching said gear box
adjacent said frame at one end of said winch spool in one position
and for disengaging and swinging said motor and gear box on a
hinged connection to said frame to a second position for
disengaging said electric motor from said winch spool.
20. The apparatus in accordance with claim 19, in which a hand
crank is removably attachable to actuate said winch spool.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to camper and vehicle bodies and
toppers for pickup trucks, and especially to a telescoping vehicle
body which can be lowered for travel and raised to provide
additional head room when occupied.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In the past, a wide variety of camper bodies have been provided for
attaching to pickup trucks, and the like, to convert the truck to a
more useful vehicle for camping or carrying equipment and supplies.
These camper bodies are called toppers when they consist of no more
than the tops and the sides for providing a cover to the open
portion of the truck bed, and typically are finished on the inside
to use for camping as well as to provide storage space for
carpenters and other craftsmen. One problem with camper bodies is
that they are generally too low to allow for standing in the truck
bed, and if made higher, substantially increase weight and wind
resistance when driving along the road. To overcome this, a wide
variety of suggestions have been made for increasing the height of
camper bodies to allow for standing room in the camper when in use,
but to allow the body to telescope or collapse to a shorter size
for travel. The present invention uses a telescoping body and
reduces the weight of such body.
Typical prior art patents may be seen in the Remmert U.S. Pat. No.
3,506,300 for a telescoping trailer which uses cables driven by a
hydraulic cylinder in which the cables are extended over pulleys
and attached to the telescoping portion of the camper to lift the
telescoping portion. A similar system can be seen in the Cornelius
U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,170 for a telescoping cover for trucks in which
a hand crank having a ratchet and pawl mechanism is used to pull
ropes or cables over pulleys having the cable attached over one
pulley and to the telescoping portion to lift the telescoping
portion. The Litton U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,655 shows a trailer
construction using cable lifting techniques and having guides for
lifting a telescoping portion of a trailer, and the Mertz U.S. Pat.
No. 4,012,070 shows a convertible camper vehicle having cable or
rope lifting system for the camper body. One prior patent to
Schenkel, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,739,833, shows a collapsible one
and two story house trailer using chains, while Touchette, U.S.
Pat. No. 3,734,559, uses cables to lift the telescoping body. Other
telescoping type vehicle bodies can be seen in the Hall U.S. Pat.
No. 3,652,119, the Ervine U.S. Pat. No. 2,893,780, and the Ratcliff
U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,556. These prior art patents typically raise
the telescoping portion using a hydraulic cylinder or a hand winch
pulling on cords or cables or chains extending over pulleys mounted
on the lower portion of the body and attached to the bottom of the
telescoping portion to raise the telescoping portion. This
typically requires four interconnected but independent cables,
which require individual alignment.
The present invention, on the other hand, utilizes either one or
two cables, which are not attached to the telescoping portion, but
instead, extend over pairs of rollers on the base portion of the
vehicle body with the cable between each pair of rollers passing
beneath a roller attached to the telescoping portion with the end
of the cable being attached to the base portion of the camper,
whereby drawing the cable taut with a simplified electrical winch
raises the telescoping portion of the body. Guides are used to
align the telescoping body as it is raised or lowered, but the
raising and lowering is simplified and alignment problems are
reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a telescoping vehicle body such as
for camper bodies for pickup trucks, or the like, which have a
covered base frame having a bottom edge and a top edge. A
telescoping frame telescopes over the base frame and also has
bottom and top portions. Guides for guiding the telescoping frame
as it is raised and lowered are connected to the base portion and
to the telescoping portion, and a lifting winch is attached to the
base frame and has cables attached thereto. A plurality of rollers
are rotatably attached to the base frame top portion, while a
plurality of second rollers are attached to the bottom portion of
the telescoping frame, so that a cable may extend over the rollers
attached to the base frame and under the rollers attached to the
telescoping frame, and be fixedly attached at one end to the base
frame, whereby, pulling the cables taut will lift or telescope the
telescoping frame portion on the base frame portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention
will be apparent from the written description and the drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a telescoping topper body placed on
a pickup truck in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the frame having the pulleys and
cables shown thereon of a topper body as used in accordance with
the embodiment of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows an end elevation of a top telescoping topper frame in
accordance with FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows a side elevation of the frame for a topper body in
accordance with FIGS. 2 and 3 with the telescoping portion lowered
over the base portion;
FIG. 5 shows a fragmentary top elevation of a winch for use in the
present invention having the motor engaged;
FIG. 6 shows a fragmentary side elevation of a winch in accordance
with FIG. 5 having the motor disengaged;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of a telescoping guide for a
telescoping vehicle body in accordance with the present
invention;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8--8 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the telescoping guide in FIGS. 7
and 8 in an extended position;
FIG. 10 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of the
telescoping guide for a telescoping vehicle body in accordance with
the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on the line 11--11 of FIG.
10;
FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the guide of FIGS. 10 and 11 in
an extended position;
FIG. 13 is a side elevation of a telescoping guide utilizing
rollers;
FIG. 14 is an end elevation view taken on the line 14--14 of FIG.
13;
FIG. 15 is a side sectional view of the guide of FIGS. 13 and
14;
FIG. 16 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a telescoping
guide;
FIG. 17 is a side elevational view of the guide of FIG. 16;
FIG. 18 is a side elevational view of the guide of FIGS. 16 and
17;
FIG. 19 is an end elevation of a telescoping topper body frame with
the winch and cables shown attached thereto; and
FIG. 20 is a side elevation of the frame of FIG. 19.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, and especially to FIG. 1, a pickup
truck 10 is shown having a camper body 11 mounted thereon. The
pickup truck has a cab area 12, wheels 13, truck sides 14, and a
truck bed 15, along with a rear bumper 19. The camper body has a
lower or base portion 16 and a telescoping or upper portion 17,
which has a camper roof 18 thereon. The telescoping portion 17 has
side windows 20 and a rear window glass portion 21 mounted onto a
liftable window 22. The base portion 16 has side windows 23 and a
pair of tracks 24, which may be elongated in a vertical direction,
and may be shaped in a semi-cylindrical cross section. The truck 10
will also have a gate, which has been shown removed in this view.
In operation, the telescoping body portion 17 telescopes up into
the position shown in FIG. 1, but slides to a lower position for
travel. The telescoping portion 17 is guided by the tracks 24 and
by grooves 25 formed therein riding on the tracks 24.
Advantageously, the raised body 17 allows for standing room on the
truck bed 15 when using the camper body 11, but lowering the body
17 to its lower position reduces wind resistance during travel, as
well as keeps the body low for traveling through woods and under
obstructions.
Turning to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the frame for a camper body has been
shown with the covering material removed, showing the operation of
the telescoping mechanism. A base framework 26 is shown having a
telescoping framework 27 telescoping thereover. The base framework
has a lower frame portion 28 and a top frame member or portion 30
and a pair of end frame members 31 and 32, while the telescoping
frame portion 27 has a top frame member or portion 33 and a bottom
or base frame member 34, and a pair of end frame members 35 and 36.
The telescoping frame member also has cross frame members 37, while
the base frame member has transverse frame members 38 and a cross
frame portion 40. Additional frame members can be used as desired
to add greater strength depending upon the covering for the frame,
which may add sufficient strength not to require any additional
bracing members. A winch 41 is attached to a cross frame member 42
of the base frame 26 and has a cable 43 extending out one side and
a cable 44 extending off the other side thereof. Cable 43 extends
over a rotatably mounted roller or pulley 45 attached to the base
frame, while cable 44 extends over a roller 48 attached to the base
frame 26. Cable 43 then extends under a roller 50 attached to the
telescoping frame 27, and then over a roller 51 attached to the
base frame 26. Cable 43 continues along the frame member 30 over a
roller 52 attached to frame member 30, then under a roller 53
attached to the bottom of the telescoping frame 27, and is attached
to a pin 54 attached to the frame member 30. As can be seen in FIG.
3, pulling the cable on the winch 41 will pull the cable 43 taut,
thereby lifting the telescoping frame portion 27 with the rollers
50 and 53. The same arrangement is connected on the opposite side
of the frame with cable 44 extending over similar rollers. A
slackening up on the winch will allow the cable body to drop, and
as can be seen from FIG. 1, the cable body can be guided by guides
24 as it goes up and down, and might typically have internal guide
members if desired. As can be seen, as the telescoping portion is
raised and lowered, the cables are always hidden from the outside
by the cover covering the telescoping framework, while from the
inside, the cable is located behind the inside covering for the
base portion 26, thereby obscuring the cable and rollers at all
times, but at the same time allowing easy access for making
corrections to damaged cables or rollers.
Turning to FIGS. 5 and 6, a simplified winch 41 is illustrated
having an electric motor 56 rotatably driving a worm gear 57,
which, in turn, is connected to a drive gear 58 fixedly attached to
a coupling 60, which in turn is removably coupled to a shaft 61,
which rotates a winch drum 63 having the cables 43 and 44 extending
therefrom. The coupling 60 has a square headed male coupling member
62 which engages a square receptacle 59 on the winch drum 63. The
motor 56 along with gears 57 and 58 and the coupling 62 are hinged
on a hinge 65 attached to the frame 64. The winch 41 is mounted to
a winch base or frame 64 with the drum 63 riding on bushings in the
frame. The motor 56, being hinged at 65 to the frame, allows the
coupling 62 to engage and disengage from the drum 63. The coupling
60 has a square male coupling member 62 which removably engages the
coupling receptacle 59 on the drum 63. When the motor 56 and
coupling are in a connected position, a bolt 66 holds the hinged
portion to the frame 64, as shown in FIG. 5, with the bolt threaded
into an internally threaded sleeve 67. This winch is easily
attached directly to frame member 42 of the base frame 26, and is
connected to the battery of the vehicle through an electrical
switch, which allows the motor to be driven in a forward or a
reverse direction, and switched from the outside of the vehicle
with a switch 68.
A manual hand crank 69 is connected to a shaft 70 mounted on the
frame 64 and having a gear 71 attached thereto which engages a gear
72 which is fixedly attached to the drum 63. This allows the use of
the hand crank 69 having a handle 73 thereon to be used to operate
the winch drum 63 to raise and lower the telescoping frame
manually. The handle 73 is removably attached with a bolt 74, since
the gears 71 and 72 remain engaged at all times, thus preventing
the continuous swinging of the handle. Gear 71 has a ratchet pawl
75 mounted adjacent thereto for engaging the teeth of the gear 71
so that the telescoping topper can be latched in any particular
position desired by swinging the pawl 75 into and out of engagement
with the gear 71. For manual operation, the bolt 66 is loosened and
the motor is swung on the hinge 65 to disengage the coupling 62.
The hand crank 69 is attached to the shaft 70.
A safety stop mechanism is illustrated having a lower gear rack 76
and an upper gear rack 77, which are driven in opposite directions
by the gear 72 which is connected to the winch drum 63. Bottom rack
76 also may have an opening therein for the sliding of a locking
pin 78 through the frame 64 to thereby lock the rack in place and
prevent the movement of the drum 63, and lock the telescoping body
in place. In addition, the racks 76 and 77 have microswitches
mounted at each end thereof which disengage the motor 56 when the
racks 76 and 77 reach their limits at each end, thereby
automatically disconnecting the winch when the topper is fully
raised or lowered. A pair of racks may be used as a safety
precaution so that the microswitches can be wired in series thereby
allowing either rack to disconnect the electric power to the motor
56 after the telescoping body has reached its upper or lower
limits. As will be clear to those skilled in the art, a winch has
been provided for raising and lowering a telescoping vehicle body
which has the features of a simplified disconnect for the electric
motor drive for changing to a manual drive, as well as a safety
lock and limit switches. Switching the raising and lowering switch
on will raise or lower the telescoping vehicle top until it reaches
its limits, at which time it will stop.
In FIGS. 7 through 9, one embodiment of the vehicle guides
illustrated at 24 and 25 in FIG. 1 is illustrated in more detail in
which a fixed guide member 84 has a guide bar 85 and a flanged
portion 86 having bolt openings 87 for bolting to the base of the
vehicle body, while a moving guide member 88 has a flanged portion
90 and a cylindrical portion 91 for sliding over the cylindrical
bar 85 and is attached through bolt openings 92 to the telescoping
portion of the camper. A neck portion 93 connects the cylindrical
bar 85 to the flange 86 and passes through an opening 94 in the
hollow cylinder 91. This simple system allows one portion of the
guide system to be bolted to the telescoping part of the
telescoping vehicle body and the other to be attached to the base
portion and for one to slide in the other. The slot 94 has a stop
95 that stops the sliding at the end of the telescoping action.
An alternate guide system is illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12,
which has the telescoping attachment 96 and the base frame
attachment 97 for sliding therein. The telescoping portion 96 has a
flange portion 98, bolt holes 100, an elongated cylindrical body
101, having an elongated slot 102 therein, having a stop 103 at one
end and a stop 104 at the other end thereof. This is bolted to the
telescoping portion of the camper while the fixed portion 97 has a
solid cylindrical bar portion 105 having protruding bolt members
106 protruding through the slot 102 and having a nut 107 on the end
thereof for bolting this member to the fixed base frame of the
telescoping vehicle. This guide portion again simplifies the
attachment of the guide members to the camper body during assembly
of the body.
Referring now to FIGS. 13, 14 and 15, an additional guide system
110 is illustrated for attachment to a telescoping vehicle body 111
by means of threaded bolts 112 passing through a central sliding
track 113 spaced from the body 111 by a spacer 114. The central
track member 113 has brackets 115 having rollers 116 thereon riding
on shaft 117. The rollers have annular grooves around the periphery
thereof for riding over the central member 113 and over track
members 118 as illustrated in FIG. 14. The elongated tracks 118 are
attached through bolts 121 and spacers 120 to the fixed base
portion 119 of the telescoping body, and has brackets 122
supporting rollers 123 on shafts 124. Rollers 123 have annular
grooves 125 therein riding on the central track member 113 and also
on the guide track portion 118. Thus, the central track member 113
can ride on the rollers 116 riding against track 118 while being
supported by the rollers 123. This type of guide system utilizing
rollers on both the fixed base portion of the telescoping camper
body and the telescoping portion allows the camper body to be
raised and lowered in a smoother manner without jamming and
maintains the rollers in their tracks.
Turning to FIGS. 16, 17 and 18, another guide system for guiding
the telescoping camper during telescoping is illustrated having a
section of the telescoping body 130 connected to a guide sleeve 131
through a base member 132 held to the telescoping body with
threaded fasteners 133. The guide sleeve 131 slides on a fixed
tubular guide 134 held through spacers 135 to the fixed body
portion 136 through a bolt 137. The fixed rod member 134 is also
attached to the base 138 of the camper body. This simplified
version of a guide system has been found especially effective in
preventing the wobble of the telescoping camper body as it moves up
and down over the fixed base portion of the body, providing a
smoother telescoping action than conventional telescoping
guides.
In FIGS. 19 and 20, an alternate cable arrangement is illustrated
in which a telescoping framework 140 telescopes over a base frame
portion 141. The telescoping portion has side frame members 142 and
a bottom side frame member 143 and vertically extending end members
144 and 145, while the base portion has vertically extending frame
members 146 and 147 and horizontal top frame members 148 and end
horizontal top frame member 150 and bottom frame member 151. A
winch 152 is mounted to the end frame member 150 and has cables 153
and 154 extending therefrom. Cable 153 has a coupling 155 fixedly
attached thereto holding a pair of cables 156, while cable 154 has
a coupling 157 holding cables 158 and 160. Cables 158 and 160
extend over a first spool 161 with cable 158 attached to the base
frame member 143 of the telescoping frame 140, while cable 160
wraps around a roller 162 and extends horizontally adjacent frame
member 148 over a roller 163 attached to the frame member 148.
Cable 160 extends vertically from roller 163 where it is attached
to the base frame member 143 of the telescoping portion 140. Guide
rods 164 and 165 can be seen in this view, which guide rods are
similar to those illustrated in connection with the guide means of
FIGS. 16 through 18. This lifting cable system used in connection
with the guide system of FIGS. 16 through 18 eliminates the problem
of the telescoping body tending to wobble its way up the guides,
and avoids the more precision adjustment that might be required
otherwise.
It should be clear at this point that a telescoping camper body
having an improved lifting mechanism and winch has been provided,
but it should also be clear that the present invention is not to be
construed as limited to the particular forms shown, which are to be
considered illustrative rather than restrictive.
* * * * *